在發展中國家，生活水準偏低，以及人民承擔不到入口嬰兒奶粉。因此，餵哺母乳於這些國家中較已發展國家普及。不過，經過過去數十年的一系列推廣之後，餵哺母乳於已發展國家已較以前普及，尤其美國和一些歐洲國家。在香港，餵哺母乳的普及性，仍然及不上世界上其他地方。最近，香港政府正逐步加大力度推廣餵哺母乳，包括電視廣告。恰好，現時正值奶粉短缺，餵哺母乳看來是個較自然﹑較健康和較符合成本效益的解決方案。

其實，美國兒科學會一直建議嬰兒應於頭六個月完全餵哺母乳，而且餵哺母乳應持續最少十二個月。這其實對母親和嬰兒都有好處。

對嬰兒來說，母乳是最好和最完美的營養來源。母乳對嬰兒的好處數之不盡。母乳包含超過三百種的營養素；而雖然市場上的奶粉經過數十年的改進，令成份貼近母乳，但亦只包含七十多種營養素。除此之外，母親的免疫力亦可以加進母乳裡，例如免疫球蛋白A及其他物質，去保護初生嬰兒，免受感染。另外，不少研究顯示母乳餵哺的嬰兒較少日後患上慢性疾病的風險，如痴肥﹑二型糖尿病﹑心血管疾病和哮喘。

　　 可能沒有什麼人知道有關嬰兒奶粉的一點就是它含有比母乳多很多的蛋白質，但這亦不代表母乳的蛋白質含量不足。相反，這其實代表由牛奶製造的嬰兒奶粉蛋白質含量對人類嬰兒來說是過多的，而人類的奶卻剛好符合人類嬰兒的生長需要。因為牛奶其實是牛的嬰兒飲用作生長需要的，而牛的嬰兒又比人類嬰兒生長得快很多﹑身體的肌肉又多很多，所以需要的蛋白質才那麼多。那些多餘出來的蛋白質會被轉化作脂肪，可能導致嬰兒過重，甚至痴肥。根據一些醫生的臨床經驗，過多的蛋白質可能會導致一些嬰兒和兒童出現食物過敏症狀，如濕疹。

對媽媽來說，餵哺母乳額外消耗卡路里和加快產後修身。一般而言，一名女仕餵哺母乳可額外消耗一日五百卡路里。再者，餵哺母乳的過程當中，一種名叫「催產素」的激素會被釋放出來去擠出母乳。同一時間，催產素亦會刺激子宮收縮和幫助停止產後出血。

在香港餵哺母乳未能成為主流的原因，可能包括坐月的假期太短﹑社會支緩不足和社區設備不足等。期望政府可以基於這幾點作出針對性的建議，提高餵哺母乳在香港的普及性。

In developing countries, where the living standard is relatively low and people there cannot afford the infant-formula milk powder import from elsewhere, breastfeeding popularity has been much higher than that in developed countries. However, under a series of heavy promotions in the past few decades, breastfeeding is now spreading wider and wider worldwide, especially in America and some European countries. Yet, breastfeeding prevalence in Hong Kong still lags behind other parts of the world. Recently, the Hong Kong Government pushes this idea further with television broadcasting advertisement. At the time of milk powder shortage, breastfeeding seems to be a more natural, healthier and cost-effective solution.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has long recommended exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and that breastfeeding continues for at least 12 months strongly. It is indeed mutually beneficial to mothers and infants.

To infants, breast milk is the best and perfect source of nutrition. The benefits of breast milk to babies are numerous. Human breast milk consists of more than three hundreds types of nutrients; whereas the infant formulae in the market are composed of only around seventy types of nutrients, even though they have been improved a lot for decades imitating human breast milk. Besides, the maternal immunity is infused into breast milk as immunoglobulin A and other substances which then protect the new born babies from infectious diseases. A number of researches also documented that breastfed babies were less likely to suffer from chronic diseases in their later lives, for examples, obesity, type II diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and asthma.

One rarely aware point of infant-formulae is that it contains much more proteins than breast milk. It does not necessarily mean breast milk has insufficient protein content. Oppositely, it is infant-formulae derived from cow milk which may contain too many proteins and breast milk protein is just enough for human infant growth. These match the different growth rates of human and cow babies, among which the latter one is much faster and requires much more proteins for growth as well as development. The redundant proteins in infant-formulae are likely to be converted to fat probably causing obesity. According to some medical doctors’ clinical experience, excessive proteins may possibly stir up food allergy symptoms like eczema in infants and children.

To mother, lactation consumes extra calories and enhances postpartum weight loss. In general, extra five-hundred calories consumed a day if a lady breastfeeds her baby. Moreover, whenever baby suckles the nipple of mother during breast feeding, a hormone called oxytocin is released for milk ejection. At the same time, oxytocin stimulates the uterus of mother to contract and helps ceasing bleeding more quickly after delivery favoring recovery.

Hindering breastfeeding in Hong Kong, the short postpartum holiday seems to play a role as well as the lack of social support and facilities in the community. Hopefully, the government can work on these areas to increase its prevalence in Hong Kong.



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